Career and Education Opportunities for Veterinarian Technicians in Fairfield, California

For those living in the Fairfield, California area, there are many career and education opportunities for veterinarian technicians. About 8,200 people are currently employed as veterinarian technicians in California. By 2016, this is expected to grow 40% to 11,500 people employed. This is better than the national trend for veterinarian technicians, which sees this job pool growing by about 35.8% over the next eight years. In general, veterinarian technicians perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals.

A person working as a veterinarian technician can expect to earn about $16 per hour or $33,600 yearly on average in California and about $13 hourly or $28,900 annually on average in the U.S. as a whole. Incomes for veterinarian technicians are not quite as good as in the overall category of Veterinary in California, and not quite as good as the overall Veterinary category nationally. Veterinarian technicians work in a variety of jobs, including: veterinary assistant, surgery technician , and animal technician.

The Fairfield area is home to sixteen schools of higher education, including two within twenty-five miles of Fairfield where you can get a degree as a veterinarian technician. Given that the most common education level for veterinarian technicians is an Associate's, or other 2-year degree, it will take about two years to learn to be a veterinarian technician if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Veterinarian Technician

Veterinarian Technician video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, veterinarian technicians perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. They also prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases.

Veterinarian technicians observe the behavior and state of animals, and monitor their clinical symptoms. They also ready and administer medications, vaccines and treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians. Equally important, veterinarian technicians have to furnish assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains. They are often called upon to take animals into treatment areas, and assist with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature and respiration data. They are expected to maintain instruments and machinery to insure proper working condition. Finally, veterinarian technicians administer emergency first aid.

Every day, veterinarian technicians are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings.

It is important for veterinarian technicians to monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low. They are often called upon to supervise and train veterinary students and other staff members. They also dress and suture wounds, and apply splints and other protective devices. They are sometimes expected to perform dental work such as cleaning and extracting teeth. Somewhat less frequently, veterinarian technicians are also expected to perform dental work such as cleaning and extracting teeth.

Veterinarian technicians sometimes are asked to take and design diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment. They also have to be able to administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted And finally, they sometimes have to collect and label samples for laboratory testing or microscopic examination.

Like many other jobs, veterinarian technicians must have exceptional integrity and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Fairfield include:

Veterinarian. Diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals. May engage in a particular function, such as research and development, consultation, administration, technical writing, sale or production of commercial products, or rendering of technical services to commercial firms or other organizations. Includes veterinarians who inspect livestock.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Veterinarian Technician Training

Mt Diablo Adult Education - Concord, CA

Mt Diablo Adult Education, 1266 San Carlos, Concord, CA 94518. Mt Diablo Adult Education is a small school located in Concord, California. It is a public school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 513 students. Mt Diablo Adult Education has a less than one year program in Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician & Veterinary Assistant which graduated five students in 2008.

Western Career College-Pleasant Hill - Pleasant Hill, CA

Western Career College-Pleasant Hill, 380 Civic Dr Ste 300, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. Western Career College-Pleasant Hill is a small college located in Pleasant Hill, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs. It has 530 students and an admission rate of 100%. Western Career College-Pleasant Hill has an associate's degree program in Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician & Veterinary Assistant which graduated twenty-eight students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician:
The technician certification designations of ALAT, LAT, and LATG are well known and widely used throughout the varied fields of laboratory animal care.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Fairfield, California

Fairfield, California photo by Ryanloney

Fairfield is located in Solano County, California. It has a population of over 103,683, which has grown by 7.8% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Fairfield, 143, is far greater than the national average. New single-family homes in Fairfield are valued at $197,000 on average, which is far less than the state average. In 2008, thirty-four new homes were constructed in Fairfield, down from one hundred eighty the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Fairfield are health care, educational services, and public administration. For men, it is construction, public administration, and health care. The average travel time to work is about 30 minutes. More than 20.4% of Fairfield residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 6.1%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Fairfield is 13.1%, which is greater than California's average of 12.3%.

The percentage of Fairfield residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 37.4%, is less than both the national and state average. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the American Baptist Churches in the USA and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Fairfield is home to the Fairfield City Hall and the Dickson Hill Water Treatment Plant as well as Tabor Park and Sunrise Park. Shopping malls in the area include Geri Towne Shopping Center, Mission Village Shopping Center and Solano Mall Shopping Center.